When I grew up I wanted to be a writer. Even now I spend at least an hour a day writing, usually a lot more. You can't really tell because my writing style is pretty awful, but I've developed an ability to explain things pretty well. I should probably write How to books :-) My parents (especially my father) were absolutely against the idea and since I also spent insane amount of times programming, I became a programmer (with a very insane and fleeting period in university where I thought it might be a good idea to be a physicist...)

It's one of those things where you always wonder in the back of your head if it was the right choice. What would it have been like if I had studied writing and literature instead of computer science in school. Very likely, I think I would be writing something similar to this article. It's a tough gig and it's getting tougher by the day.

I can't help but think, though, that I've met a fair number of programmers who find themselves in a similar situation. They get out of a job, go for a while and then just can't seem to get back in. Then what? Do you struggle to make it? Do you cut your losses and try something else? What if that doesn't work? It's a scary thing to contemplate.